


Fall Fortunes

by theianitor



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Autumn, F/F, Falling In Love, Fortune Telling, M/M, Runes, Tarot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 06:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12576160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theianitor/pseuds/theianitor
Summary: Kimi doesn't believe in fortune telling. Jenson might not believe much either, but if it helps cheer Sebastian up, he'll go for it.





	Fall Fortunes

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah I made two fics for the collection, lol. This one sprung on me, I was defenseless. XD I hope you enjoy.

“Go on Kimi, get your fortune told!”

Kimi grumbled but entered the tent. It was dim in there, lit only by candles and two oil-lamps. It smelled kind of heavy, like incense and leaves. He and his friends had made their way slowly through the Harvest fair, sampling pies and candy apples, drinking cider... way too much cider. Normally he wouldn’t have given the fortune teller’s tent a second look. He didn’t believe in that stuff. But his friends were paying, and with the added promise of them paying for dinner, he would play along.

“You can ask them to come inside too, if you want,” a voice said from his left. Kimi turned and was face to face with a woman dressed in all black. When she walked to the other side of the little table in the middle of the tent her long skirt making it seem like she was gliding along above the ground. She turned and sat down, looking up at him. Her eyes were very blue. She was pale, and her straight, long, jet-black hair made her seem even paler.

“Hm?”

“Your friends,” she said, nodding towards the tent’s entrance. “They set you up for this?”

“Mwell... yeah,” he admitted. She’d probably heard them talking outside, even though the noises of the people out there seemed very much muffled by the cloth surrounding them.

“They don’t need to be in here, they’ll just talk and bother you,” Kimi decided. They didn’t need the added pleasure of seeing this lady cold-reading him, they’d have plenty to laugh about anyway. The woman smiled.

“So you want them to stay outside? Are you afraid of what they might ask?”

Kimi regretted it as soon as he folded the cloth aside and told his friends to get inside and shut up. He sat down in the chair opposite the woman and his friends stood behind him, snickering and looking around.

“What’s your name?” one of them asked. The woman turned her piercing blue eyes on him.

“Minttu, what’s yours?”

“I thought all fortune tellers were Lady something-or-other,” another one said. She smiled at him.

“Do you think all fortune tellers are withered old women with crystal balls too? Do you think they all make everything up?”

There was some muttering, but nobody said anything more.

“Let’s get on with it,” Kimi said.

Minttu nodded and produced a small, grey bag. Whatever was inside rattled when she shook it.

“Give this a shake, please.” She handed the bag to Kimi. It was surprisingly light, and he shook it dutifully before handing it back.

“Now, in here are several runes. I want you to take one out, and I can see what I have to work with. After that, we can either do a typical telling where I look at your future and see what is coming... or we can ask them some more specific questions, if there is anything you want to know.”

Kimi wasn’t sure what he wanted. He had figured he would just have been told to sit down and then some old crone would make up some things about his ‘future’, and then he’d go back out and tell his friends. That plan had already gone out the window. He stuck his hand inside the bag with some trepidation. The things inside felt like pebbles, rounded and a little rough, and he let his fingers skim over a couple before catching one and pulling it out.

“Right here,” Minttu said, pointing. Kimi noticed the pattern on the tablecloth had a circle in the middle, and smaller boxes scattered around, lines drawn between them like it was some kind of puzzle. He put the pebble in the middle. Now that he could see it he realized it wasn’t actually made of stone. Also, there was a symbol carved into it, filled in with red paint. It looked like a crooked U.

“Yes, I’d say that’s right,” Minttu said, touching the symbol with her finger. “You’re a strong, healthy man... but stubborn, sometimes. Hard-headed even.”

“She’s got you down pretty good!” one of Kimi’s friends laughed from behind him.

“Shut up,” Kimi muttered. Minttu took out a handful of the runes and put three on the table.

“Turn them over,” she said to Kimi. “Left to right.”

He did as he was told. The first one looked a bit like a cane. The second one looked like a vertical line with a sideways V on it. The last one looked like two pyramids connected at the point.

“Interesting,” Minttu said, looking the runes over. “This is the past,” she said, indicating the cane-shaped rune. “Since it’s upside down, it’s not a happy past. You’re confused, not making the best decisions for yourself. Luckily...” she slid her finger along to the next rune on the table, “this is the now, and this means you’re not adverse to change. It says you know what you want, but you haven’t... hm.”

She considered the rune more closely, as if there was some kind of fine print to the symbol.

“Ah. You’re waiting for something to react to... hm. So the change has already started, but you’re not sure. Are you being stubborn, Kimi?”

Kimi didn’t understand what she was going on about at all. It was all woolly. Nobody could tell the future, it was just for a bit of fun, but she was a pretty good actor; she seemed to be taking this very seriously, and she had at least remembered his name. She looked at the last rune and smiled, showing very white teeth.

“Here we are! The future. Dawn, or realization... as opposed to darkness, and confusion.” She pointed back to the first rune. “Things are looking up.”

“You might win the lottery,” one of his friends said to general snickering. Minttu looked up at them and they went quiet very quickly.

“Was that what I said? No, this is about happiness. So whatever change you’re waiting for, it’s in the works already... maybe you need to stop waiting, Kimi? Maybe you should use some of your strength, and bring about this?” Her finger went back to the pyramid-looking rune.

“Yeah, well...” Kimi wasn’t sure what to say.

“Did you have any questions?”

“Uh...”

“Is there something in there about his love life?” one of his friends called helpfully. Kimi glared. Minttu held the bag out towards him.

“Pick a rune and we’ll see about that.”

Reluctantly, Kimi put his hand in the bag again. He caught himself thinking he should pick carefully, and then felt silly. How could he ‘pick carefully’ when he didn’t know what the runes meant, couldn’t see them, and it was all made up anyway? He picked one and put it where Minttu was pointing.

“Oh,” she said, smirking at the rune. “Well now.”

She put the rune on the cloth and Kimi saw a square kind of O.

“What does that mean?” he asked, in spite of himself.

“Fertility,” Minttu said plainly, looking up at him. “Common sense, stability, relief... after a time of worry.” Again, she pointed to the first, cane-shaped rune. “Combined with your will to change, which also holds your will towards...” she stopped mid-sentence and coughed theatrically. “The runes seem to think it’s been a while.”

Kimi felt the heat rise up his neck and could barely hear his friends chortling behind him.

“So? What does it mean?” he said, sounding perhaps a little angrier than he actually was. Minttu’s face got more serious, but she was still smiling as she pointed to the runes.

“I’m going to speak plainly. You’re a stubborn man, stuck in a rut, making bad choices and not moving forward. However, you’ve already met someone who has started to change things up for you, but you’re waiting for...” she briefly looked back down to the runes, “... _him_ to make the first move, which is just stupid. You make a move, there will be...” she stopped herself with an apologetic smile. “...there’s a good chance for a long relationship here. A family. That’s what it means.”

Kimi stared at her, his mouth hanging open. It was all made up. It had to be. But how could she... maybe his friends had set this all up more than he thought. They must have told her... but he hadn’t talked to anyone.

His friends paid the fortune teller and they carried on down the market street, stopping here and there to look at things. Kimi felt a little dazed and mostly kept quiet, lagging behind.

 

\--

 

“So, how’s life as a free agent treating you?”

Seb shrugged, more interested in his toffee apple. Business was fine. In truth it was way better than fine. Since starting up less than a year ago, he’d hired two students from the nearby university to help part-time to keep up with orders. He had made friends with people from the other companies in the building and quickly become the stationery-supplier for two of them. Business was pretty great, actually. Still...

“Made any new friends?”

Seb shrugged again. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Working hard meant he earned good money, but didn’t have many opportunities for going out and meeting people. Not that he knew where to start, really. He couldn’t go out with the university students, that would be ridiculous. He’d never been much of a bar- or club-going person – it had always been Jenson who took charge of those kinds of activities.

“Seb, come on, talk to me.” Jenson snatched his toffee apple away. “You’re obviously miles away, I thought you’d be happier to be back home for a bit?”

“I am!” Seb insisted. “I’m just thinking...”

“About work? Come on, you need to relax!”

“I’m not thinking about work,” Sebastian said with a pout.

“Isn’t it obvious? There’s some girl in his office, and he’s in love,” Tanya said gleefully. Sebastian glared at her. He and Jenson had been friends since first grade; he was well within his rights to glare at Jenson’s sisters.

“It’s some guy, actually,” he corrected, “and he’s not interested, thank you.” He grabbed his toffee apple back and took a big bite.

“Have you talked to him then?” Jenson asked, stopping at a stand where paper bags full of home-made sweets were on display. Tanya’s youngest began making a ruckus, wanting candy.

“No. Yes. Sort of. He’s very quiet.”

“You’re not though,” Jenson snickered, paying for a couple of bags of sweets.

“Shut up,” Sebastian muttered.

“Just go for it, maybe he’s shy?” Jenson ignored his sister’s children eyeing his bags of candy and put them away. A plan for picking Seb up via a couple of beers and some nice sweets was forming.

“He’s not, he is...” Seb didn’t know where to start.

He was in love. Or at least it was a crush, but he didn’t know where to go. He thought he’d made his interest quite clear. The guy worked in one of the offices he now supplied, and Seb had made deliveries himself just to get a few words with him whenever he could. They’d had coffee together the week before, and the other people in the office wondered what Sebastian had said to actually get this guy to even talk to him. Still. He didn’t seem interested. He sighed.

“Hey,” Jenson said, putting his arms over Sebastian’s shoulders and giving him a squeeze. “It’ll work out for the best, promise.”

They were quiet for a while, walking along slowly. Sebastian wanted to believe Jenson was right, but in Jenson’s case ‘working out for the best’ had meant a divorce he still, almost a year down the line, was only just getting over. It wasn’t very encouraging.

“Let’s get our fortunes told,” Jenson suddenly said, pointing to a white tent a few stands down the street. “Maybe the spirits can tell you what to do about your shy-guy!”

 

Sebastian protested weakly and Jenson still pulled him inside the tent, greeting the woman inside with a cheery wave.

“Hello. My friend would like his fortune told?”

“Hello,” she said, her bright blonde hair swaying softly as she turned to look at them. “I’m Vivian. I’ll be right with you.”

She finished lighting a candle on the right side of the tent before going over to sit down at the table in front of them. She looked pleasant, smiling brightly at them. The tent was very inviting, smelling of freshly-baked bread and cinnamon. Garlands of red and yellow leaves hung from the ceiling.

“I recognize you,” she said, still smiling and nodding at Jenson. Sebastian looked at him.

“It was after... eh... you know. Figured it couldn’t hurt,” Jenson said, adjusting his coat a little. Sebastian rather thought he understood; it had been a difficult time and he had only just had time to help Jenson pack before he was leaving town and... to be fair he probably would have tried anything to feel better too.

“Do you want to see how things have developed?”

“No no, this isn’t for me, it’s for him.” Jenson pointed to Sebastian, and the woman held out her hand, indicating he should sit in the chair in front of her.

“Are you looking for answers to something in particular?” She took out a deck of cards and started shuffling them.

“No, I...” Sebastian started.

“Yeah, there’s a guy at his job...” Jenson helped, grinning. Vivian smiled kindly at Sebastian.

“Shuffle these, then split the cards into three piles please, and then put them back together.”

He did as he was told. They were bigger than playing cards and had a decorative swirly pattern on the back with little dots of gold that glinted when he moved the piles back on top of each other. Vivian took the cards again and then considered Sebastian. She put the deck down and spread the cards, all facing down, in front of him.

“Pick three cards and put them on the table.” She pointed to three stars embroidered onto the tablecloth. Sebastian, again, did as he was told.

Vivian turned over the first card. It was a picture of a cat in a suit of armor, holding a sword and shield and riding a horse. Sebastian was a little surprised; the picture was much cuter than anything he would have thought appropriate for tarot-reading.

“This is you, and what there is,” the fortune-teller said, looking at the cat affectionately. “The Knight of Pentacles. Maturity, responsibility. You don’t leave things half done, you work very hard.” Sebastian nodded. That didn’t seem too bad, nor too far from the truth. “But you’re a little too careful, a bit slow to get moving.” Seb looked a little put out and Jenson snickered.

“This is what is coming.” She turned the middle card. Another cat, wearing a dark blue robe with little golden stars, its paws raised high, levitating a glowing ball of yarn. “The Magician. Focusing your energy on getting things done and getting what you want. It’s going to take a little creativity,” she winked at him, “and some determination, but... you have to focus yourself on actively trying to achieve your goal, do you understand?”

Sebastian nodded, slowly.

“The last card is the result of your efforts.” Suddenly, Sebastian wasn’t so sure he wanted her to turn the last card. He knew there was a card for death, what if it was that one? Before he could voice his worry she flipped the card.

It was another cat, sitting next to a big goblet, splashing the drink with its paw. The cat looked very pleased, the goblet was golden, and the drink splashing out glittered luxuriously. Vivian’s smile grew.

“I thought that might happen. The Ace of Cups, this is a very good card. Happiness, fulfillment. If you make the effort, which you are very much capable of, then you will be very much rewarded.” She pointed to the cards in turn, explaining the reading. “If you choose to keep doing nothing, then you get nothing. If you choose to work a little magic...”

She left the sentiment hanging, and Sebastian looked over the cards again. Doing something. He could handle that. No reward without risk, and vice versa. He knew it was all make-believe, but he felt strangely assured by having the cards tell him he should do something.

 

“Now, as for _you_...” Vivian said, gathering the cards up and turning to Jenson. “Let’s see if we can get a clue to where you should go...”

“No, that’s not necessary,” Jenson said, trying to back away. Sebastian was too fast for him, getting up from the chair and pushing him to sit down in his place.

“It will be quick,” Vivian said offhandedly. “Shuffle these, split into three, and then back together.” When he didn’t start right away she motioned for him to get on with it. With a sigh, he did.

“Pick two cards.”

He did, and put them where she told him to.

“Since you are doubting, I’ll keep it simple. This is where you are coming from, and this is what will come.” She pointed at the card on the left, the past-card, and Sebastian realized he was curious to see what would happen. Jenson tried to look like he didn’t care, but Seb could tell he was getting nervous.

“Ah,” Vivian said, “you see? This is you.” It was two small cats, falling off of a bent scratching-post. They both looked very unhappy, stretching their legs as if trying to catch hold of something. “The Tower. No more stability, but sudden change and things breaking. Bad things happening and things ending.”

Sebastian looked at Jenson and cautiously put his hand on his shoulder. He supposed the woman could be faking this; if she had met Jenson the previous year and actually remembered him, she would have known about what was going on. It was unlikely though, and she looked at him with genuine care in her eyes, like she actually felt for him. Jenson was just staring at the card.

“Now, how far have you come?” She turned the second card over, and a little smile came to her lips.

“See? The cards think you’re done with this now,” she said, pushing the previous card further away as if to distance it from the future. “This is the Fool.”

“That doesn’t sound very good,” Sebastian said. The cat on the card had checkered green and silvery pants and was standing on one paw as if it had been caught mid-step. From its tail hung a little bell. It looked like it was dancing in a swirl of leaves, a bindle lying on the ground next to it.

“It is, it’s very good,” Vivian nodded. “When opportunity comes, you need to be ready... and it’s coming. A new start, if you’re willing to take the risk on a carefree adventurer. Trust your instincts.” She smiled kindly at him. Jenson looked a little confused, still looking at the dancing cat on the card.

“Trust the seasons then,” Vivian said. “The old is going away and making way for the future. He’ll help bring that.” She pointed to the dancing cat. Jenson nodded slowly at her and Sebastian, while not quite understanding the fortune, thought it at least sounded positive. His own fortune said to take control and do things – Jenson’s was basically “sit back and wait”.

When they had paid and stepped back outside Jenson took out one of his bags of candy. He just needed something to do, and his sister’s kids were ignoring them in favor of a little band and some performers making their way down the market street. A couple of dancers were handing out candy and the cheerful music was catchy. The dancers were dressed up in green and brown, fabric trailing from their arms as they skipped along.

“It’s going to be hell getting the kids to settle down after this,” Jenson sighed, putting his arm around Sebastian’s shoulder. Sebastian froze. Across the street, he had just spotted a very familiar face.

 

\--

 

Kimi watched the dancers and the band pass without any real interest. His head was full of that guy from work, Sebastian, whose telephone number he didn’t even have. He’d have to wait until they were back at work together to make any kind of move. Maybe he could ask Seb out for coffee again? Would that count as “going for it”?

He looked up across the street and froze, staring. Sebastian was standing there, looking at him. Among the thoughts of how it was even possible, Kimi registered the guy next to Sebastian putting his arm around Sebastian’s shoulders. Rather than feeling dejected however, he pushed past his friends and stepped right out into the street before he could even think about it, dodging the passing dancers as best as he could.

Sebastian watched in a bit of a daze as Kimi marched out into the street and almost got run over by a couple of little girls dressed as dancing fairies. Behind Kimi there was a woman in black, looking at him with a smile. With a jolt, Sebastian thought it might be a girlfriend. Feeling a little crazy, he snatched Jenson’s bag of candy out of his hands and bounded out into the street.

“Hey!” Jenson called out.

One of the dancers nearly tripped over Sebastian and sidestepped to avoid falling. Behind him, Sebastian heard the young man fall over and somebody made a noise of surprise. He’d have to apologize later; it didn’t matter now, he needed to get to Kimi. Finally they were face to face in the middle of the street.

“Hi,” Kimi said, staring at him like he couldn’t believe he was there.

“I have candy,” Sebastian said, holding out the bag for him. Suddenly, he felt a little silly. The dancers still moving past in their costumes and the children calling out for candy, the musicians, the people in the street – he thought everyone must be looking. But they kept moving past them as they stood there in the middle of the street, Kimi staring at Sebastian and his bag of sweets.

“We should go for coffee again,” Kimi said. He didn’t know what else to say. He broke into a smile. Sebastian took a little step forward and Kimi grabbed hold of him and pulled him in, hugging him close. That felt right. Not knowing what to say wasn’t important, this felt right, and it was definitely “going for it”. Sebastian wiggled in his arms and he eased off, a little nervous that he might have gone too far.

He needn’t have worried. Sebastian got his arms free and pulled Kimi in closer again, kissing him, just a short kiss but a kiss, a kiss that was definitely “going for it”. There was nothing else. No people, no dancers, no Harvest fair. When they broke apart Seb looked a little bashful but he was smiling. Kimi was smiling so big it almost hurt. Suddenly, Sebastian looked like he realized something.

 

“Jenson!” He turned around. The guy who had had his arm around Sebastian’s shoulders was on the ground. The dancer who had tried to get out of Sebastian’s way had apparently danced right into him and sent them both to the street, the guy landing on his ass in the leaves. The dancer was just getting up from ending up on top of him.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, holding his hand out to help Jenson up.

Jenson stared. The young man had wide, colorful pants and a very tight-fitting shirt. Around his neck hung a bunch of golden and red leaves... and he had some kind of crown-like thing on his head, with leaves and horns and a little bell. He took the younger man’s hand and accepted the help up.

“Are you okay?” Jenson kept staring. He was gorgeous.

“Jenson!” Sebastian appeared next to him, dragging a blond man by the hand.

“I’m fine?” Jenson said. He wasn’t sure, to be honest. He dusted himself off and the dancer reached out to help get the leaves off his coat.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’m Nico, if there’s anything I can do...”

“You could take him out for dinner?” a voice said from behind them.

“Vivi!” Nico said, sounding annoyed. It was the fortune teller, smiling serenely at the scene before her.

“Well you could,” she said, nodding at Jenson.

“No helping,” another voice joined in. It was the woman in black that Sebastian had seen earlier.

“Like you didn’t help?” Vivi rolled her eyes. “Because you never help, do you...”

“I don’t decide what the runes say!”

“Runes,” Vivian scoffed. Then she slowly looked over Kimi and Sebastian, still holding hands. “Oh, like this isn’t _your_ doing?”

“No!” Minttu defended. Her eyes narrowed, and then she glanced at Jenson and Nico, Nico blushing and Jenson still just staring at him. “Like that isn’t _your_ doing then? Vivian, your own brother...” She started laughing.

“The cards said...”

“Oh the cards, blame the cards!” Minttu walked over to her and put her arms around Vivian’s neck, still snickering as they stood forehead to forehead.

“We’re just as bad as each other, aren’t we?”

Vivian’s stubborn expression faded and she started snickering too, rubbing noses with the woman in black for a second before giving her a little kiss.

“I wouldn’t have us any other way.”

 

“Do you want to... eh... go?” Kimi said, pulling on Sebastian’s arm a little. Things suddenly felt private, and he just wanted to go have that coffee with Seb and talk. Sebastian nodded at him and turned to Jenson.

“I’ll call you or something,” he said, and he and Kimi walked off together.

“Do you want to go for dinner?” Nico said with such determination Jenson was almost surprised.

“Yeah, uhm... yeah,” he said, feeling very far from himself being so tongue-tied.

“Good,” Nico said, taking hold of his hand and shooting his sister a glare. “Let’s go then, I have to change out of this.”

Jenson looked over his shoulder at the two fortune tellers as he followed Nico down the street. They were holding hands and Vivian was waving cheerfully after them. Maybe it was a good season for change after all. He slowed down a little, listening to the leaves crunching under their feet and the jangling of Nico’s little bell.

“I’m Jenson by the way,” he said, realizing he hadn’t introduced himself.

“Yeah I thought so,” Nico said, also slowing down a little but still holding on to his hand. At Jenson’s surprised look he snickered.

“Well my sister _is_ a fortune teller.”

\- The End -

**Author's Note:**

> All in good fun, as per usual! :)  
> Thanks for the read! Kudos and comments are much loved! <3


End file.
